JenOni

Archives for April 2019

Monkey Bread for Dessert with the Perfect Recipe

monkey bread

For desserts, I always check Pinterest for “the best of ______”. I tried Monkey Bread years ago and I was not overly impressed with it. It was so long ago I do not remember if it was the brand of biscuits used or the ratio of brown sugar and butter. The best Monkey Bread I had was at the shore during a summer getaway. This dessert must have the caramelized topping and moist center to wow me.

This recipe was perfect. I used 2 cans of Pillsbury flaky biscuits. My bundt pan is metal and heavy so I adjusted the temperature to 325F.

The recipe is simple and you probably have everything on the shelf except for the biscuit dough. You will need 2 cans of biscuit dough, sugar, cinnamon, butter, and brown sugar. You can find the recipe on the link below.

Thank you to The Diary of a Real Housewife for this yummy recipe.

Recipe

  1. Greased the bundt pan
monkey bread

2. Cut each biscut in fourths, added to a freezer bag with sugar and cinnamon,

monkey bread



3. Melted 2 sticks of butter with brown sugar

monkey bread

4. After layering biscuit dough and butter/brown sugar

monkey bread

5. Simple Delicious, definitely our go-to recipe for monkey bread.

monkey bread

Food is a Big Part of a Healthy Lifestyle and What to Eat?

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Food is a daily necessity. The challenge is when it comes to what to eat and how many calories to consume. It took me almost a year to learn what to eat and how many calories. I was definitely not eating enough to maintain my desired weight. My fitness regimen goal is to gain more muscle mass and with this, I needed to eat more calories each day. For 6 weeks I worked with a trainer and followed a meal plan. The meal plan required me to eat every 3 hours with protein in every meal, carb, fruit or vegetable. This was easy for me at the end of the summer because schedules were not hectic.

Meal Plan

Now after the 6 weeks training plan, I am trying to incorporate the same plan with three meals, 2 snacks, and a one cheat MEAL a week. I think a misconception is to take a CHEAT DAY and this is a way to sabotage progress. The trick for me is to pick a cheat meal that is closer to the weekend or on the weekend.

Grocery List

I will say that grocery shopping means more trips to the grocery store each week. It is mainly for me to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Perishable items spoil quickly. I found myself throwing out lots of spinach so now I use spinach in a large salad, add to eggs, and saute for weekly meals. Strawberries and blueberries are my staple fruits. Adding fruit to oatmeal or including with breakfast meals, and as an afternoon snack. My grocery bill is a bit higher due to purchasing more quality products. One thing I have saved on is buying frozen fruit for smoothies.

New Favorite Foods

The best way to stick to eating the right foods is to diversify what you eat. Some of the foods I have added are lots of avocados, chia seeds, flax seeds, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, brown rice, basmati rice, sweet potatoes. I find that my body is less bloated if I eliminate the wrong carbs and dairy. For a small treat, a small piece of dark chocolate is good for a craving.

Carribean Chicken Recipe and Using a Cooking Thermometer

The recipe is courtesy of KaTom Food Services and the cooking thermometer was received free of charge, all opinions shared are my own.

New recipes are fun to try especially when I use new ingredients. This recipe uses an herb, spices, jalapeno pepper, green onions. I decided to marinate the chicken thighs overnight. When I simmered the thighs the flavors smelled delicious.

Yield: 4 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes (plus 2-hour marination)

Cook time: 15 minutes

This marinade – which has a little bit of heat blended with just the right amount of sweet, savory, and aromatic spices – is absolutely fabulous for summer meals. Just the thought of this Carribean dish evokes images of tropical beaches, cool ocean breezes, and icy rum-infused cocktails (we’ll save those for another recipe!). Since it isn’t weighed down by heavy ingredients, this island indulgence is guilt-free and easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

  • 4 (4 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

For the Marinade:

  • 4 medium green onions, sliced
  • 1-2 jalapeno chilis, seeded and chopped (for additional heat, leave seeds in)
  • 1⁄3 cup lemon juice
  • 1⁄4 cup honey, warmed slightly to soften
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper to taste

The rest of the recipe can be found Carribean Chicken Recipe

thyme, green onions, allspice, nutmeg, jalepeno (seeded and chopped)

lemon juice, honey slightly warmed, and EVOO

Marinated for 24 hours

Medium Heat, Cast Iron Skillet with EVOO
Skinless, Boneless Thighs

Cooking Thermometer

I served the chicken with rice and spinach. The chicken was very moist and full of flavor from the spices. Next, time I will leave in seeds for jalapeno pepper to give it a little heat.

This Is Us Season 3 Episode 17 “Randall & Beth” Relationship Dynamics

Episode 16

After I watched Episode 16, I was on pins and needles about the future for Beth and Randall. The episode ended with a heated conversation between Beth and Randall. I know Randall will think twice about leaving another insensitive voicemail.

Episode 17

This week’s episode started with Beth telling Randall how she felt over the course of their relationship from the beginning. I had no idea they attended the same college and started dating in college. Their first date ended abruptly because Randall overdid it with his planning. I felt he never stopped to figure out what Beth liked or what was a perfect date for her. When Beth ended the date she clearly told Randall to never call her again because he was too much. Obviously, he did call again. His relationship with his mother really bothered Beth to some extent, especially how much he shared with her. I thought this was a bit over the top for him to share so much detail with his mother and want to include his mother on his dates with Beth.

Randall’s passion and love spread to everyone in his life. She obviously learned to love that part of him. The promise Beth asked of Randall is that they not get lost in the midst of married life. A few things were apparent early on before the accepted proposal, Beth was fine being in their seven-year relationship and in no hurry to be married. I feel she was still trying to find herself. Beth also had an issue with Randall’s mother being a third wheel. Randall invited her along like it was normal.
After countless proposals, Beth finally accepted.

Compromise or No?

After, twenty years of marriage, Beth finally realized her dream of teaching dance. There is a scene in which Beth and Randall are sitting at the kitchen table munching on nachos while Tess slept. Beth talks about looking forward to returning to work and Randall reassures her they will work it out. This is when Beth proceeds to compare both of them to chips. She eventually makes it clear only the crumbs are left. Randall was a bit annoyed as he thought Beth was saying she is only left with crumbs. Beth quickly redirected the conversation for them to get a full night’s sleep. I think the reality of being a wife and mother with a career was starting to sink in for Beth.

Marriage


This episode highlighted relevant topics for marriage. Can compromise exist in marriage? Are dreams deferred while married? How often should you check in with your spouse on goals? This episode was a realistic depiction of marriage and its challenges. Marriage is difficult when two people come together with different life goals. Before Beth and Randall were married, Beth was assertive in what she needed. After getting married, she put herself on hold to support Randall’s next brainstorm. Randall brought a lot of extra and while Beth appeared fine supporting him I think she became resentful. The end of this episode has me thinking they may take some time apart.

This episode is a clear indicator of the communication that is lacking before saying I do. Vows are words but the actions that follow set the tone for the institution.